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When you grab a handful of pretzels, you’re getting a snack that comes with fiber, iron, zinc and folate. And besides these nutrients, pretzels are low in fat. Hold up, though; this snack can come at the price of too much salt, because some brands of pretzels have nearly a day’s supply of sodium in one serving. Like most foods, the pros and cons vary from one product to the next.

Low Fat

Pretzels are one of best snacks when it comes to fat content. A 100-gram serving of hard pretzels, or about 16 pretzels depending on their size, has just three grams of total fat and no cholesterol. A significant amount of the fat -- 88 percent -- consists of healthy unsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol. (See Reference 1) The same portion of potato chips has 36 grams and tortilla chips have 23 grams of fat.

Fiber

Enjoying a snack of hard pretzels adds to your daily fiber intake. A 100-gram serving has three grams of fiber. That may not sound like much, but it’s eight percent of the recommended daily intake for men and 12 percent for women. Potato and tortilla chips have a little more fiber -- four to five grams -- but if you choose whole wheat pretzels, the amount goes up to eight grams.

Calories

Pretzels have fewer calories than potato or tortilla chips; but like many snacks, they’re not exactly low in calories. You’ll get 380 calories from a 100-gram serving of hard pretzels. (See Reference 4) The same serving of potato chips has 542 calories. Tortilla chips range from 489 to 514, depending on flavorings.

Minerals

Hard pretzels have seven to 10 percent of the daily intake of seven minerals, but they’re especially high in iron and zinc. (See Reference 9) In addition to carrying oxygen through the blood, iron provides short-term storage of oxygen in your muscles so that you have enough to meet the demands of increased activity. (See Reference 2) Zinc has many roles, from metabolism to the production of DNA and new cells. You also need zinc to support the immune system’s ability to fight bacteria. (See Reference 3) A 100-gram serving of hard pretzels gives men 62 percent of their daily intake of iron and 13 percent of zinc. Women get 28 percent of their daily iron and 18 percent of zinc.

B Vitamins

A serving of hard pretzels provides as much as 20 to 40 percent of the daily intake of riboflavin, niacin and thiamin, and 71 percent of your daily requirement for folate. (See References 4 and 8) These nutritional values are so high because most pretzels are made from enriched flour. That means the amount will vary in different types of pretzels. Folate prevents anemia by building red blood cells and has a vital role in the creation and growth of new cells, so it is a critical nutrient during periods of growth, from pregnancy through adolescence.

Salt Concerns

Watch out for the amount of salt in the pretzels you choose. Regular hard pretzels have 1,357 milligrams of sodium in a 100-gram serving. That’s almost the entire recommended daily intake of 1,500 milligrams. (See References 4 and 8) Check the Nutrition Facts label because different pretzels, such as whole wheat and unsalted brands, have significantly less sodium.

About the Author

Sandi Busch received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, then pursued training in nursing and nutrition. She taught families to plan and prepare special diets, worked as a therapeutic support specialist, and now writes about her favorite topics – nutrition, food, families and parenting – for hospitals and trade magazines.